Meet Dr. Eric Valdez, 2011 CSPP Graduate

Dr. Eric Valdez is an Organizational Development (OD) professional who earned a PsyD in Organizational Development from the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) at Alliant International
University in Fresno in 2011.

“CSPP equipped me with a profound understanding of organizational psychology and how
to help others with this knowledge. In a sense, it also reconfirmed the work I decided
to pursue long ago--helping people and organizations realize their potential,” said
Dr. Valdez.

Coming from humble beginnings, Dr. Valdez has always worked professionally while attending
school. During his service with the United States Marine Corps as a young man, he
found time to study at night school. After the military, he enrolled in classes at
the local city college. With no specific direction or career in mind, he started an
employee relations internship at St. Agnes Medical Center. He enjoyed the work and
helping people directly, so when a full-time position opened in compensation, he seized
the opportunity.

While building his experience working at various companies, Dr. Valdez earned a Bachelor
of Arts degree in human resources management and organizational development from Fresno
Pacific University and a Master’s degree in human resources management from the University
of Phoenix.

Dr. Valdez has followed his passion of helping people and organizations through managerial
positions at United Parcel Service, Del Monte Foods Inc., and Producers Dairy Foods
Inc. He currently serves as Human Resources Business Partner for The Walt Disney Company.

Dr. Valdez’ support and encouragement of U.S. veterans has been recognized several
times throughout his career. While at Producer’s Dairy Foods, he was awarded the ESGR
Patriot Award, a Department of Defense award that recognizes supervisors who support
their Guard and Reserve employees. In 2012, Eric was featured in Disney’s employee magazine Disneyland Resort Line - (PDF). The article highlighted the company’s Heros Work Here initiative, which
aims to attract more veteran employees.

Dr. Valdez had this to say about his experience at CSPP and how it opened doors for
him: “My education has helped me get into this type of work. CSPP instilled in me
that we must first understand ourselves and our aspirations before we can truly help
others. Not only did CSPP prepare me with the knowledge and tools I needed to reach
new goals, it also made me a better person and a passionate executor of organizational
design, development and workforce effectiveness. CSPP helped me realize my potential
and achieve many new goals in life. I was fortunate to have lots of people rally behind
me and believe in me, but anyone can do it if they want to reach their potential.
It’s the reason I get up every morning: to help people realize their potential.”

Dr. Valdez is one of nearly 1,000 CSPP alumni who are connected with CSPP and with
each other on LinkedIn.

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